Bipes (lizard) explained

Bipes is a genus of amphisbaenians (or worm lizards) found only in Mexico, the sole living member of the family Bipedidae.^[1] They are carnivorous, burrowing reptiles, but unlike other species of amphisbaenians, they possess two stubby forelimbs placed far forward on the body.^[2] They also retain an almost complete pectoral girdle.^[3] The shovel-like limbs are used to scrape away soil while burrowing, in a manner similar to a mole.^[4] Evidence for their occurrence in the United States is reviewed by Somma (1993).

Further reading

• Latreille PA (1801). In: Sonnini CS, Latreiile PA (1801). Histoire naturelle des reptiles, avec figures desinées d'après nature; Tome II. Premiere partie. Quadrupèdes et bipèdes ovipares. Paris: Crapalet. 332 pp. (Bipes, pp. 90–96.)
• Taylor EH (1951). "Concerning Oligocene Amphisbaenid Reptiles". University of Kansas Science Bulletin 34 (9): 521–579. (Bipedidae, p. 522.)
• Somma, Louis A. (1993). "Do Worm Lizards Occur in Nebraska?" Nebraska Herpetological Newsletter 12 (2): 1–10

External links

• Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20090514074919/http://www.jcvi.org/reptiles/families/bipedidae.php. Family Bipedidae (Two-legged Worm Lizards). 14 May 2009. J. Craig Venter Institute. dead.

Notes and References

1. 10.1098/rspb.2014.3034. Biogeography of worm lizards (Amphisbaenia) driven by end-Cretaceous mass extinction. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 282. 1806. 20143034. 2015 . Longrich . Nicholas R. . Vinther . Jakob . Pyron . R. Alexander . Pisani . Davide . Gauthier . Jacques A. . Jacques Armand Gauthier . amp . 25833855. 4426617.
2. Web site: 5 Amazing Creatures You May Find While Adventuring . What am I doing online? . 2013-01-26 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121216051600/http://www.whatamidoingonline.com/2012/09/21/10-amazing-creatures-find-adventuring/ . 2012-12-16 .
3. Westphal. Natascha. Mahlow. Kristin. Head. Jason James. Müller. Johannes . amp . 2019-01-10. Pectoral myology of limb-reduced worm lizards (Squamata, Amphisbaenia) suggests decoupling of the musculoskeletal system during the evolution of body elongation. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 19. 1. 16. 10.1186/s12862-018-1303-1 . 6329177. 30630409 . free . 2019BMCEE..19...16W .
4. Book: Cogger HG. Harold Cogger. Zweifel RG . Richard G. Zweifel. Gans C. Carl Gans. 1998. Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. Academic Press. San Diego. 216–217. 0-12-178560-2.